U.S. Rep. Blake Moore has been appointed to serve as a GOP legislative conferee to negotiate between House and Senate colleagues on ways to counter Chinese influence.
WASHINGTON, D.C. – U.S. Rep. Blake Moore (UT-01) has been appointed to serve as a House Republican Conferee to negotiate a compromise bill between the House and Senate to bolster U.S. research and technology to compete with China.
The announcement was made April 7 by GOP Leader Kevin McCarthy at the U.S. Capitol.
Moore was the only member of the House Armed Services Committee and one of the few freshmen representatives chosen to serve on the conference.
“It is a huge honor to serve as a conferee to advance critical legislation that will strengthen our competitiveness with China,” said Moore. “It is far past time that Congress comes together on strong legislation that will directly counter China’s efforts to weaken our economy, stifle our innovation and compromise our security.”
The Conference Committee will negotiate between the Senate-passed U.S. Innovation and Competition Act and House-passed America COMPETES Act to invest in U.S. manufacturing and address global semiconductor and supply chain shortages.
Moore will serve alongside House GOP members on the House and Senate China legislation conference to help surge U.S. innovation and industry while preserving our competitive edge over China.
“Countering the Chinese Communist threat is the single most pressing issue we can undertake in this Congress,” said McCarthy. “This Congress cannot bend or bow to China’s lobbying efforts. We need strong voices in this process who will put American interests above all else.”
According to the U.S. State Department, the People’s Republic of China (PRC) threatens world peace via predatory economic practices, military aggression in the Indo-Pacific region, undermining global norms, coercive tactics abroad, disregard for human rights and environmental abuses.
For example, State Department officials say the PRC violates World Trade Organization commitments and international norms through massive subsidies to favored companies, intellectual property theft, forced tech transfer and corrupt trade practices.
Beijing continues to accelerate its secret nuclear weapons build-up, potentially tripling its arsenal within a decade. China increases the risk of conflict by using its military to bully its neighbors, threaten maritime shipping lanes and destabilize borders.
The State Department also contends that Chinese media spread propaganda globally while manipulating foreign news and entertainment media to advance its orthodoxy.
The growing Chinese presence on overseas campuses subverts academic freedom, while undermining the integrity and security of the international research by enticing foreign researchers to engage in deceptive and illegal activities for the PRC’s economic, scientific and military gains.
“I am looking forward to representing the House Armed Services Committee (as a conferee) and working with my colleagues to craft solutions that will bolster and maintain America’s dominance on the global stage,” Moore said.